Call It What You Want (to be revamped & restarted soon)

Track 1.01 | tuesday when i caught your eye

🦋 + 🐍

(Oliver's Version)

Oliver was not a fan of changes. He was the kind of person who ate the same meals everyday, followed a schedule planned to the very minute and went to the same grocery store daily at night to buy a quick iced instant coffee refill.

For someone like him who found the mundaneness of daily life comforting and feared surprises, walking into a newly opened café in the middle of town would've taken a whole day of planning and calming of socially anxious nerves but today was different.

Because nothing was the same anymore. Not after she-

Brushing that thought aside and ignoring the fact that he had stomped out of someone's home, now no more than a stranger's, he forced himself to take a deep breath. He clenched his fist in an attempt to calm his shaky palms and closed his eyes for a moment before reading the name on top of the signboard.

Brew Space

He eyed the unusual name and the subtle S formed by the steam coming out of a coffee mug made his lips quirk up in amusement. Oliver had always been a fan of details, someone who'd often lose himself into the nitty-gritty and the tiniest elements. That seemed to serve well in his line of business.

A moment later he found the chilly wind outside nudging him to go in. Starlight hardly had any coffee or tea shops so he didn't really know what to expect. Would it be a noisy café bustling with a huge caffeinated crowd or would it be the kind of place that took too long to prepare a very simple order?

He mustered all his courage and pushed the doors of this new coffee shop open, only to be greeted with a radiating warmth and a strong aroma of brewing coffee. He was pleasantly surprised by the lack of sensory overload. It was already late and there were hardly any customers hanging around. The realisation of not having to tolerate a nerve-wrecking noisy ambience was just about to bring a smile on his face when the sweet melancholy of silence was broken by a wind chime that hung on the door he was holding.

Leaving the breeze outside, he let go of the door and took a moment to observe his surroundings. This place would be any introvert's haven solely based on how far each table was arranged, though that could've been solely because of the pandemic. He couldn't help but notice how cosy the atmosphere felt, covered in subtle pink, white and brown decor in a pattern that seemed to repeat throughout the café.

A few steps ahead and he could hear a soft sound of clattering cups hitting the countertop or coffee being poured into a paper cup. His gaze fleeted right towards a corner with a small but stacked bookshelf and he mentally noted to check out their collection someday. He could hear someone mumble a "thank you" and loved how all he could hear were mere whispers - he had already heard way too much today.

The kind of stuff that you don't recover from.

But that was not his biggest relief. Oliver was so used to being followed with cameras and microphones wherever he walked that he had forgotten how peaceful it felt to be left alone. He expected all eyes to stay fixated on him when the winds and the ajar doors of the café triggered the wind chime and the sound of bells echoed throughout but no one turned around or looked up at him. He questioned himself for a minute before realising why. He had a mask on. The only time the pandemic turned out to be a positive thing, he mused.

His legs seemed to be on auto-pilot as they walked him to the billing counter but his mind was not ready. A nervous rush enveloping him, he began quickly scanning through the menu to remember what he was supposed to order. As if he hadn't repeated it to himself multiple times already before entering the café.

But instead of a rushed 'how may I help you', the barista at the other end looked at him and seemed to understand. "Take your time. And let me know if you need any suggestions." She sweetly whispered and something about her voice felt like home somehow.

Forgetting about the coffee or why he was there, Oliver couldn't help but notice the woman before him and how gracefully her hands moved as she wiped the countertop. Too lost in the action, his senses seemed to have dawned back to reality when she paused before him, her posture more alert and defensive now.

"Your order, Sir?" She asked, a little more sternly this time and Oliver was thankful for the mask because he could feel the blood rush to his pale cheeks.

His memory seemed to return and he could sense the barista frown after he completed talking. "An Iced Americano." It was almost closing time so he added with a forced smile, "Please?"

"Coming." Was all she said as she turned around and quietly began preparing his order. He stood there, affixed and entranced in her aura. He wasn't sure if it was the delicious scent of coffee and sweet pastries or the streaks of galaxy shades in the barista's hair but he was enchanted, as if spell-bound by this new place and suddenly, it didn't feel so unfamiliar anymore.

The red streaks of her hair reminded him of his broken relationship and the blues felt like the pain of being cheated on. The violets reminded him of how privileged he was to be able to start afresh but the depth in her eyes was all he wanted to get lost into. A part of him felt like a creep for staring at an unknown woman for so long but how could he stop when she felt so familiar. He couldn't help but wonder if they had ever met before or if it was just this Tuesday when she caught his eye.

Whispering a thank you, he swiftly swiped his card and took his paper cup. Though every thought in his head urged him to stay, maybe ask the barista her name or tell her to have a good day, his anxiety kicked in and he began to walk away unwillingly. He knew no matter how far he'd go, a piece of him would always stay right here, in this very spot.

Because if there was ever something called love at first sight, this was the closest Oliver had come to it.

And don't forget to add it to your reading lists *_*

Random Question: What would be your dream job/s if money didn't matter?

Thank you all so very much for over 1K reads for this story! You all how no idea how much this means to me. I am so thankful for each and every one of you!